Kyle Busch lost it on his in-car radio for 3.6 seconds last week after watching another Sprint Cup victory slip from his grasp.

It was one quick explosion from a temperamental driver who has handled frustration better this season than in years past. His rants that used to last for minutes last just seconds now.

But as he is learning this week, even an outburst of just 3.6 seconds can stir up trouble and make waves.

This time, it was poor fuel mileage that infuriated him. It was the fourth engine-related issue he has had this season.

So after he took the checkered flag and finished a disappointing seventh in a race in which he led 302 laps, he lashed out at engine builder Toyota Racing Development, which builds engines for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Thank you TRD,” Busch said. “(Expletive) us out of another one. Piece of (expletive) (expletive).”

In 3.6 seconds, Busch used an “f” bomb, an “s” word and an “mf” to describe Toyota, the manufacturer that not only supports Joe Gibbs Racing but also Busch’s Kyle Busch Motorsports.

That’s how quickly Busch can go from being a great driver who can handle adversity to one whose biggest enemy is himself, one who hates to lose so much that it clouds his judgment. And it also led to him having to issue an apology Thursday.

In fairness, Busch possibly could have soothed any ill feelings if given the opportunity after the race. But with the Chase for the Sprint Cup going on, most of the media was focused on his teammate Denny Hamlin in the garage afterward and no one got Busch’s side of the story before he left the track.

For sure, he has reason to be upset. Over three straight weeks this summer he had engine issues. The first was a valve spring, while the other two were freak parts issues, one that disrupted the oiling system and another in the valve train. He managed only 41 points in those races. If he had just averaged a 10th-place finish in those three events, that would have been 102 points. He missed the Chase by just three points.

TRD president Lee White shared his frustration over those summer missteps, but that didn’t mean that White wasn’t a little miffed at Busch’s comments at Dover.

“We're as disappointed as he was,” White told thatsracin.com, The Charlotte Observer’s racing website. “However, we've got used to saying, 'That's just Kyle, you know.' But this is a bit of a special case.

"We're extremely disappointed in his negative comments and the tone of the comments after the event. It is under discussion as we move forward.”

When contacted by Sporting News on Thursday, White said team owner Joe Gibbs was handling the situation and he didn’t want to talk about the driver.

But White knows as well as anyone about passion. He shows his passionate side at times and is one of the feistier manufacturer executives in the garage. This whole situation pits two fiery personalities, two who will probably joke about it after a victory sometime down the road.

And for anyone who doesn’t think there is still a Toyota path for Busch, think again.

When asked if the comments would possibly lead to Toyota not wanting to support Busch, White said, “absolutely not.”

There’s good reason for that. Busch wins races. He has 23 Sprint Cup victories and could win several Cup championships.

Some might say that he’ll need to avoid those 3.6 seconds of outbursts in order to win those titles. But it could be deeper than that. The question is not if he needs to handle his frustration better, but can he relax enough and not get so emotional when things go awry.

It’s all part of a delicate balance Busch must find. It’s better to be a sore loser rather than accept losing, right?

The problem is that Busch can’t win them all. He’s won only one Cup race this year despite leading 922 laps. The only way that happens is by losing races that he should have won.

Busch likely will learn from this latest episode. He’ll learn that he can’t go on any more profanity-laced tirades—even if it is just for 3.6 seconds.

Either that or he’s got to hope that those who work with him know that they might be subject to a 3.6-second rant when things don’t go well.